Innistrad
by CephalopodGolem
Summary: The story of two Cathars as they travel across the nightmarish plane of Innistrad to hunt down a dangerous criminal.
1. Chapter 1

Vines crept along the wattle-and-daub walls of the coaching inn and the candlelight in the hired suite cast the room in an amber glow. Thaddeus sat at the desk and pored over a book he had bought from a merchant in the last village they had passed through, 'Wildlife of the Marshes' by the renowned biologist Cecil Chetwood.

He heard a knock at the door and habitually reached for the dagger at his belt. "Who is it?"

A female voice responded, "Just me."

He released his grip on the daggers hilt. "Come on in."

The woman stepped in and shrugged off a heavy fur coat, tossing it onto one of the beds. Her name was Elinor, a Cathar from Kessig chosen for her limited magical ability and natural Kessian strength. She was far taller than Thaddeus and just as muscular.

She removed her hat and sat on the end of the bed she had chosen. "So, good read?"

"Riveting."

Elinor lay back on the bed and rubbed her temples with her palms. "I was talking to some of the traders in the pub"

"Learn anything useful?"

"I'm afraid not. Most of them were too drunk to take seriously or even communicate with for that matter."

Thaddeus closed the book and returned it to his satchel that he had place by the desk. He closed the satchel, fastened it and slid it underneath the second bed.

"I was wondering something Thaddeus."

He removed his own overcoat and put it in a wardrobe by his bed. "What's that?"

"If this mission is so important why only send two Cathars?"

Placing his boots beside the wardrobe, Thaddeus lay on his bed. "I suppose they thought a large group would attract too much attention here in Nephalia."

He ran a hand through his ginger hair. At least they had reached a safe place to sleep before nightfall. Tales of Nephalian ghouls still chilled him a little despite the heightened resolve afforded to him by years of training in the church ground as a young lad.

Some strands of hair were caught in his fingers upon inspection. He frowned. Rarely was he concerned by his appearance but his hair was one of the few things he had of his mothers. Soon all he would be left with was his father's face and eyes and that worried him.

Elinor seemed to notice his worriment and tilted her head to look across the room towards him. "You're worried about something."

"You know I don't like it when you do that."

"I can't help it."

She was frowning with what Thaddeus thought was genuine concern. "Want to share?"

"No, not really."

As much as he appreciated her company he barely knew the woman. "You're awfully inquisitive for a Kessian Elinor."

"I hardly consider myself Kessian to be honest."

She often talked about her youth in the garrisons and of the priest who had helped her hone her magic and gave her an opportunity to use it for good. Thaddeus rolled over onto his stomach and pressed his face against the pillow.

* * *

><p><em>His dream brought him face to face with the dirt of the Elgaud Ground where he spent most of his childhood. He heard his former tutor's disappointed voice as he wept. <em>

_"You think a Vampire will give you cuddle and some warm milk in the middle of a fight Thaddeus?"_

_He grabbed the boys arm and pulled him to his feet. Thaddeus' eye was black and blood was dripping from his nose. The other boys had formed a circle around the sparring ground. Some jeered him, others encouraged him and a few even looked concerned._

_"Now get back in there!"_

_The tutor turned Thaddeus to face the other boy in the sparring circle. A larger Kessian lad about four inches taller and a year his elder. He shoved Thaddeus towards him and steeped out of the circle as the boys parted to allow him passage._

_The Kessian raised his fists and assumed a fighting stance as did Thaddeus. He threw an ineffective punch at the Kessian's chest and darted out of the way of a counterattack. The large fist of the Kessian boy missed his face by inches._

_They circled for a few seconds before Thaddeus ducked and ran forward, wrapping his arms around the legs of his opponent. Try as he might he could not get the larger boy to fall and the Kessian laughed and pushed him off, swinging a punch that caught Thaddeus' already blackened eye and sent him reeling._

_For a few seconds he saw double and then the world seemed to blur into a homogenous mass of colour. A second punch and his world became one of complete darkness and muffled gasps and cheers._


	2. Chapter 2

The villagers stumbled from their homes, trying desperately to resist the compulsion that drove them towards the shrine at the centre of their hamlet. They formed a circle around the statue and fell to their knees, each clutching a knife, nail or other sharp implement.

A woman stood at the shrine and smiled at her audience as they gathered, casting each other horrified glances. Children and other younger villagers tried to pull them away, seemingly unaffected by the mesmeric attraction of the stranger.

She removed a black hood revealing a gaunt, pallid and scarred face. Her eyes were laden with dark rings from sleep deprivation.

"Please don't be afraid. I am shepherd of Avacyn."

She ran a finger down the largest of her scars, one that ran from the right of her forehead ton just below the left side of her lip. "This world is a terrible place."

All of the villagers had arrived now. They sweated and gasped for breath, struggling as an unseen force held them in place.

"Our prayers falter in the face of such terror."

Her smile shifted into a frown. "This is a sign. We must stop fighting. We must arop resisting"

"Pa, what's happening!"

A Youth tugged on his father's shirt, trying to pull him away.

"Get out of here Sam. Run to the next village."

His father struggled to speak against the forces clenching his mouth shut.

"She is inviting us to drift into the blessed sleep. To escape the woes of this plane and return to the Aether."

"Pa, come on! Move! Please move!"

Sam began to sob, his efforts waning as his arms weakened. He shuddered and broke into tears, falling to his knees.

"We have ignored her invitation long enough."

She raised her left arm into the air. Cold wind seemed to pass through the hamlet at the motion. The villagers raised their implements into the air.

"Get out of here Sam. Run to the next village. Get to the militia."

"I will lead you to her."

She brought her hand downwards in a fast motion. The village erupted in a cacophony of screams.

* * *

><p>"And that's twenty miles south of here?"<p>

"Yeah, as the crow flies."

The barkeep wiped away at a tankard as he answered their questions.

Elinor leant forward on the bar and took another swig of the mead she had been nursing since they had arrived. "Could you describe her again just to make sure?"

"Yeah. She had three big old scars. One from here"

He pointed to his forehead. "To here".

He pointed to beneath his lip. "She wore all black, like she was hiding something. Had a hood. She wasn't bad looking considering."

Thaddeus nodded. There was no doubt she had passed through here. He thanked the barkeep for his service and paid him for their drinks. They would have to leave for the hamlet immediately despite the encroaching night and thickening fog outside of town.

* * *

><p><em>Not really happy with how this came out but if I don't upload something I'll just lose motivation all-together, so sorry if it isn't that good.<em>


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